


A Proper Goodbye

by GingerAtHome



Category: One Piece
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Luffy is Dead, Nakamaship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 00:06:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16185995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerAtHome/pseuds/GingerAtHome
Summary: It's been five years since Luffy died. Five years and not a single one of his crew could bring themselves to see him. Until finally Zoro does and there he makes a promise that next time everyone would come with.(Characters and relationships will be added as they appear in the future.)





	A Proper Goodbye

            It was raining when Zoro arrived at the island. It was raining as he walked to the grave that he had dug here exactly five years ago. He sat down in front of the cross, a bottle of sake in one hand and in the other, a hat, a hat he never deserved to wear and a hat no one else wanted.

            He sits in silence for a moment, letting the rain just beating down on his back before he finally spoke. “You know, you really are an idiot,” he says, the words almost stuck in his throat. “We’ve all broken our promises, every single one of us.” He paused, taking swig of the bottle, it wasn’t enough but it would do.

            Zoro placed the hat in front of him, making sure it didn’t land in the mud and just where he knew the man buried six feet under would have had his head. He drank the rest of the bottle.

            He was really happy it was raining, to hide the tears that were starting to make their way down his cheeks. It took everything he had not to scream out in pure agony. “Luffy,” he said every single letter harder than the last in that name. “Luffy, I’m so sorry, I should have been stronger. I should have protected my captain.”

            He hadn’t felt pain like this in a long time, but while the pain before pushed him to be better, to be stronger, this pain just broke him. He didn’t stop fight, he never stopped, but now there was no reason. Only the hope that this would take the pain away or kill him.

            He really wanted to die, right here, right where he buried his captain when no one else could. He, the first mate, the first one to truly believe in the never ending light that was Luffy, forced to bury his best friend.

            “I’m sorry,” he repeated as he thought back to it. It was five years ago, five years since he last came back here to talk to his captain. He wishes he could go back and visit more often, but he knew that even if he could he wouldn’t. Too difficult, too sad.

            He sat there until the rain stopped and the sun disappeared behind the sea. Only when it was completely dark outside did he stand up and walk to the only town on this island in the middle of nowhere.

            He booked a room in the only inn, not that he would sleep, he didn’t sleep much anymore. In the room he sat in the only chair right next to a window. There he looked out, even here he could just make out the hill Luffy was. He looked down at the hat he had carried back with him, it was too important to leave there.

            Tomorrow he would leave this place, continue on a journey with no end and no purpose. And he told himself he would come back next year, but deep down he wasn’t sure he would.

            Instead, he would do what he had done since Luffy’s death, convince himself he wouldn’t make it back in time, that him coming he was pointless, that no one else had come either and that it really didn’t matter if he did. That Luffy wouldn’t care, but Zoro knew he would.

            He began crying again, he really hated it, but he couldn’t stop it. He just wanted to go back and stop all of this.

            But… he couldn’t.

            So there he was, once the most fearsome swordsman in the whole world, first mate to the future pirate king and now a mess just waiting to die.

            He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep for the first time in a long time.

 

            His eyes snapped open the moment the weight hit him. “Oh sorry Zoro,” the all too familiar laughing voice of his captain said.

            Zoro stared at him. He was smiling as wide as possible. “Luffy… but…” He started, unable to say anything else as he stared at his captain.

            Luffy laughed, whole heartedly. “You finally came back.”

            “I, I’m sorry.”

            Again Luffy laughed, “I was really worried, you just never came back, none of you did.”

            Zoro could hear the hurt in his voice even as he smiled. “We didn’t know how to face you. We… we were scared.”  

            “Why?”

            Zoro took a shaky breath, trying not to make too much eye contact with him. “Because then we have to accept that you’re gone.”

            Neither spoke for a while. Zoro was sure that Luffy wasn’t smiling anymore, probably lost in thought, but he couldn’t face him not after five years of avoiding him.

            “You never ever said goodbye,” Luffy finally said. “You just left me all alone.”

            Zoro lowered his head further, “I’m sorry.”

            Another laugh, a fake one but at least he was attempting. “It’s alright Zoro. At least you guys haven’t stopped following your dreams, after all, you promised.” He flinched.

            “Yeah, of course.” Finally he looked up to meet his captain’s eyes. He knew Luffy knew that wasn’t true, but neither wanted to say it.

            Luffy smiled at him and he smiled back for a long time. Then Luffy looked to the sky, “I guess it’s time for you to go.”

            He was waking up. “I guess so.”

            “Hey Zoro,” he gave one last look to his captain. “Next time, bring everyone else.”

            He hesitated, not sure if he could make that possible, “Okay.”

            Zoro heard Luffy’s laughter even after he woke up. He looked outside to still see it was dark but decided now was the best time to leave.

            He paid as he left. Hat attached to his meager bag as he made his way the small ship still docked. He gave one last look towards the hill where Luffy was, almost sure he saw a figure standing there and knew it was Luffy sending him off. He waved as he set off. He didn’t know how, but he knew that he would come next year and that it wouldn’t be just him but everyone who came.


End file.
